Sonax wheel cleaner - I approve!

[FastRedPonyCar]

It's been raining for over a week straight so my wheels were NAAAASTY. I had ordered some stuff from John at Lethal and the sonax wheel cleaner was one of the items and finally got a chance to wash the car yesterday.

Directions say to spray and let it hang out for 3~5 minutes. Literally after I had gotten all 4 wheels sprayed, I walked around to the 1st wheel I sprayed and there was a puddle of what appeared to be crude oil on the ground surrounding the wheel

After a couple of minutes, I wanted to see how clean it was without me touching the wheel so I sprayed it with the hose and it was actually really clean. Not perfect and had some streaks where the sonax had run down the parts of the wheel but MAN did that stuff work. I went over each wheel with a separate microfiber mitt (I use 1 for the car and 1 for the wheels) with the soap/water and they were spotless.


I've tried probably a dozen different wheel cleaners at this point and this is the first one (besides teh griot's garage wheel cleaner) that doesn't come from an auto parts store and it's the first one that legitimately WORKS how you think that a wheel cleaner SHOULD work.

Loosening the brake dust and dirt for you to have to wipe all of it off is one thing and something that every wheel cleaner will do but actually REMOVING it without you having to hardly touch it is on a totally different level of cleaning performance and something that until now, I didn't know a wheel cleaner could do.


So that's my review of the sonax cleaner. PM john@lethal for a forum discount and save a few bucks, and if you don't have any nice (as in not from an auto parts store) microfiber towels, he also has good prices on the cobra towels which I'm a big fan of.

 

[oldmodman]

I am a confirmed Sonax user too. I does such a great job on metallic brake dust, gets it all off without scrubbing.
Even on the inside wheel barrel which is nearly impossible to get clean.
Now if only Sonax smelled good it would be even better.

 

[JBDSVT]

love the stuff! +1 on the fumes though, it will instantly take your breath.

 

[FastRedPonyCar]

I am a confirmed Sonax user too. I does such a great job on metallic brake dust, gets it all off without scrubbing.
Even on the inside wheel barrel which is nearly impossible to get clean.
Now if only Sonax smelled good it would be even better.

NO KIDDING!! Geeeez it stinks to high hell.

 

[John@Lethal]

Hey Drew

Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it. I'm glad to hear that the wheel cleaner worked out for you (I told you it would! ;-) )

Now would also be a pretty good time to tell you guys that we have the Daytona Speed Master Wheel Brushes. We're still building the page on the site, but I have them here. The Sonax and the Daytona Wheel Brush are a flawless combo when cleaning wheels. If you don't have one already, it is definitely a garage necessity to safely maintain your wheels.

Remember guys, if you have any questions whatsoever, PM or give me a call. You're all entitled to that discount. So let me know!

PS-Anything that we don't have, shoot me a PM and ask. Chances are I can get my hands on it.:thumbsup:

 

[FastRedPonyCar]

I've read good things about the daytona brush but the problem I face is that it has to be able to clean the wheels on my wife's car.

This is the only pic I have of the wheels but as you can see, each spoke has a V shaped channel that I have to use the wash mitt and my pinky finger to clean. It tapers into a point rather than a U shape so I really have to cram into the crevice to get it clean or else it will look dirty.

do you guys have the 8" montana boars hair brush? that's the one I'm considering. I'm hoping that the longer bristles can get those grooves but also worried that the large size of the brush wouldn't be effective at getting the rest of the insides of the wheel between the spokes.

I know the daytona brush would handle that but I don't want to have to buy 2 brushes when one mitt that I already own can do all that I want as long as I put up with the hassle of digging my pinky into the spoke grooves.

 

[John@Lethal]

I see what you mean. To tell you the truth, I actually use 2 separate brushes when cleaning my wheels. I have the Daytona for between the spokes, behind the spokes, and inside the wheels. Then I use something like that boars hair brush to clean the face of the wheels. If you want to get super technical, I use 3. The third is to get into the lugs and clean those holes out.

We'll certainly look into the Montana brushes, though.

 

[flamed03vert]

Daytona speed brushes are awesome!!! They go great with your whell cleaner of choice. They get those inner barrels and nooks and crannys with minimal fuss. I have GT500 style 20" alloys on my F150 that the centers are painted gray, and the speed brush gets them spotless from front to back without scratching the paint. I use mine with Sonax for the front wheels as these dust way worse than the rears.

 

[2003Slobra]

A lot of good info in here! Also remember for all the guys who get their wheels spotless after using Sonax should try to put a coat of Rejex on them. Not only will it continue to protect but it will make the next time you wash your wheels a breeze.

Rejex Paint Sealant - 16 oz [X-61002] : Lethal Performance, Performance parts for Ford Mustangs

 

[FastRedPonyCar]

yep. I use the sonus acrylic spritz bumper to bumper (including wheels) after each wash.

I also claybar em when I do the whole clay/polish/wax routine. Basically treat the wheels like any other part of the car.

 

[T-Bolt]

I bought a gallon of Sonax in the spring, and I'm about 1/3rd of the way through it. I love it. I also purchased a skinny wheel brush for the inside barrels and a boar's hair brush for the outside. I swear by it.